Apparatus for setting up packaging trays



DeC- 24, 1968 F. T. wATERHoUsE APPARATUS FOR SETTING UP PACKAGING TRAYS 5 Sheets-Sheet l Filed April 6. 1966 Dec- 24, 1968 F. T. wATERHoUsE 3,417,666

APPARATUS FOR SETTING UP PACKAGING TRAYS Filed April 6, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR i l//ITEEHOUSE ATTORNEY Dec. 24, 1968 F. T. WATERHOUSE 3,417,666

APPARATUS FOR SETTING UP PACKAGING TRAYS 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 6,' 1966 lNvENToR 7." /1/47564/0055 @Kwam @ab ATTORNEY Dec. 24, 1968 F. T. wATERHoUsE 3,417,666

APPARATUS FOR SETTING UP PACKAGING TRAYS 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 6, 1966 ATTORNEY DeC- 24, 1968 F. T. wA'rERHoUsE 3,417,666

APPARATUS FOR SETTING UP PACKAGING TRAYS Filed April 6. 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR E /l//lE/Z/oasf ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,417,666 APPARATUS FOR SETIING UP PACKAGING TRAYS Frederick T. Waterhouse, Wilbraham, Mass., assignor to Diamond International Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 6, 1966, Ser. No. 540,570 14 Claims. (Cl. 93-52) ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus for continuously setting up pre-assembled, self-erecting, self-locking, folded-flat rectangular trays including means whereby folded-flat cartons are continuous- 1y conveyed along a horizontal path of travel and in which the cartons include one pair of opposed walls having lock flaps which walls and flaps are reverse folded below the path of travel, and another pair of forwardly and rearwardly extending walls is erected in sequence, causing all walls to be automatically oriented into a rectangular relation and the reverse folded side wall lock aps are folded into locked engagement with the other pair of opposed Walls.

This invention relates generally to apparatus for setting up packaging trays, and more particularly to apparatus adapted to setting up display and packaging trays of the character disclosed in the application of Davidson et al., Ser. No. 473,304, led July 20, 1965, now U.S. Letters Patent No. 3,330,465 issued July 7, 1967.

Blanks from which trays of the character involved are produced, are preassembled and the trays can be classed as the self-locking, self-erecting type, i.e. the trays include portions for retaining the side walls in an erected condition independently and/or in conjunction with the product forming a package, The blanks are pre-scored and die cut, certain portions are glued, and the preassembled blanks are generally shipped to the packager in a folded at condition. At the packager, the trays are erected and the product is introduced, the trays including gusset folds at the corners of inner wall panels, whereby erection of one pair of opposite side walls results in substanti-ally automatic erection of the other pair of side walls.

Due to the double thickness of the board material incorporated in the side walls incorporating the gusset fold corners, and in order to insure uniform and rapid packaging, automatically operating set-up apparatus is desirable in production lines.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide apparatus for setting up display and packaging trays in which means have provided for insuring optimum erection of the tray in the manner in which it is designed, in order to obtain production line efficiency.

A more specific object of the present invention is to provide novel reverse folding means for the side walls and lock aps used automatically erect and lock the tray in an erected condition.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a novel lock ap orienting means permitting the tray to be locked in an erected condition by the insertion of a product in the tray and/or by means of sequentially mechanicallyoperated means.

And still another object of the present invention is to provide apparatus for setting up display and packaging trays in which the trays are continuously conveyed through a horizontal path of travel, and are set up as they move therealong without requiring intermittent stops along their path of travel, i.e. the trays are set up through various manipulations and are continuously moved through the apparatus without intermittent pauses or delay.

3,417,666 Patented Dec. 24, 1968 These, together with other objects and advantages, will become apparent from a consideration of the accompanying specication when taken in conjunction with the drawing lforming a part thereof, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the tray set up apparatus, with portions broken away for purposes of clarity;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus shown in FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view of .a preassembled display and packaging tray to be set up on the apparatus;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a single preassembled blank in relation to a portion of the conveyor means and supply hopper of the apparatus;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the apparatus showing the reverse-fold means in relation to the side walls 'and lock flaps of the tray;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view showing details of the tray hold down means in relation to a portion of the structure shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the structure downstream of that shown in FIG. 6 illustrating an assist finger and side wall folding means for the tray side walls;

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7 illustrating the manner in which the side wall folding means functions to erect the walls of the tray;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view downstream of FIG. 8 illustrating the manner in which the lock aps of the tray are oriented toward a lock-up position;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective View downstream of FIG. 9, showing the manner in which the lock aps of the tray can be urged into a lock-up position, and showing by means of phantom lines the alternate position of a mechanically actuated plunger;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the tray erected from the preassembled blank shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. l2 is a fragmentary side elevational View looking substantially from the plane of line 12-12 of FIG. 2 showing details of the structure for operating the assist finger shown in FIG. 7; and

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary section taken substantially on the plane of line 13-13 of FIG. 2 showing details of the means for operating the -mechanical plunger shown in FIG. 10, i.e. for reciprocating the plunger between the phantom and solid line positions, shown in FIG. 10.

Referring to the drawings in detail and rst considering FIGS. 3 and l1, a preassembled blank is indicated generally at 10 and is produced from a suitable paperboard or the like, the blank being die cut and prescored. The preassembled blank includes a substantially rectangular bottom wall 12 having hingedly connected thereto opposed outer, forward and .rear side walls 14 and 16 (forward and rear being used to identify the direction in which these walls pass through the apparatus). Hingedly connected to opposite side edges at 18, 20 are outer side walls 22 and 24, respectively. Inner side walls 22 and 24 incorporate in the corners thereof gusset folds 26, 28 and 30, 32, respectively. Hingedly connected to the outer margins of the side walls 22 and 24 at fold lines 34 and 36, respectively, are lock aps 38 and 40 which include at opposite ends thereof lock tab portions 42, 44 and 46, 48, respectively.

Referring to FIG. 4, the preassembled blank is disposed in a supply hopper and the lowermost preassembled blank is removed therefrom (see FIG. 4), it being noted that the side wall 22 and lock flap 38 are in substantially coplanar relationship as is the side wall 24 and lock Hap 40. As the preassembled blank is moved through the path of travel in the apparatus, reverse folding is initiated, i.e. the side walls and lock flaps are moved in unison downwardly as seen in FIG. 5. Next, the reverse folding or creasing at the fold lines 18 and 20 is enunciated as seen in FIG. 6 by a pressing wheel, and thereafter, as seen in FIG. 7, the side walls and the lock flaps are moved back to the horizontal position shown in FIG, 1, and next are moved vertically into mutually parallel relationship, this causing automatic erection of the front and rear walls 14 and 16 (see FIG. 8). After this has been accomplished, the lock flaps are folded inwardly at the fold lines 34 and 36 (see FIG. 9) and finally as seen in FIG. 10 the lock flaps are moved downwardly into locking engagement with suitable aperture portions to provide the erected tray shown in FIG` 11.

Although a mechanically operated plunger is utilized to engage the lock iiaps 38 and 40 with cooperating portions on the front and rear walls, the mechanical type plunger of FIG. could be replaced with the article which would ultimately form a part of the package to be displayed in the erected tray.

Referring to FIGS. l and 2, a support frame for the apparatus is indicated generally at and comprises a pair of suitably supported, horizontally disposed side frame members 52 and 54. Extending transversely between the side frame members 52 and 54 and journaled thereon in any suitable manner are support shafts 56 and 58. Mounted on the support frame is a suitable source of power such as electric motor 60 having a drive shaft 62 (see FIG. 2) on which is mounted a sprocket wheel 64. The shaft 58 has xed thereto a sprocket wheel 66 in coplanar relation with a sprocket wheel 64, and an endless drive chain 68 is entrained over the sprocket wheels 64 and 66. The support shafts 56 and S8 have secured to medial portion thereof sprocket wheels 70 and 72, respectively, over which is entrained a conveyor chain 74. The upper ight 76 of chain 74 defines a horizontal path of travel of the preassembled blanks through the apparatus. Fixedly secured to the upper surface of the conveyor chain 74, in spaced relation thereon, are transversely disposed, longitudinally spaced, pusher or abutment bars 78, which engage the rear edge of the preassembled blanks, i.e. adjacent rear wall 16 for moving the preassembled blanks through the apparatus.

Supported in spaced relation on the support frame S0 in any suitable manner above the frame elements 52 and 54 and on opposite sides of the upper run 76 of the conveyor chain 74 are support members 80 and 82, the outer margins 84 and 86 thereof generally defining or coinciding with the side margins of the tray being erected on the apparatus. The abutment bars 78 extend beyond the inner edges of the support bars 80 and 82 and ride on the upper surface thereof. The support bars 80 and 82, in conjunction with the upper run 76 of the conveyor chain, define a conveyor means having a horizontal path of travel through the apparatus.

Indicated generally at 88 is a supply hopper means generally designating a rst station at the upstream end of the horizontal path of travel through the apparatus. The hopper means 88 comprises a skeletonized frame 90 substantially conforming to the outline of the preassembled blanks 10 and is suitably supported at opposite ends 91 and 92 on the support frame 50` The hopper 90 includes a pair of depending gauge plates 93 and 94, the lower edges of which are spaced vertically above the members 80 and 82, respectively, to permit only one preassembled blank at a time to pass therebeneath; see FIG. 4. It will be noted that the outer edges 84 and 86 of the bars 80 and 82, respectively, underlie the respective fold lines 18 and 20 of the preassembled blank as it is removed from the supply hopper 88.

Disposed downstream of a supply hopper is a pair of suitably supported, vertically extending hold down bars 96 and 98 (see FIGS. 2 and 5, for example) which engage the upper surface of the preassembled blank generally inwardly of the fold lines 18 and 20 (see FIGS. 5 and 6).

Indicated generally at 100 and 102 at opposite sides of the members 80 and 82, respectively (see FIGS. 1, 2 and 5) are reversed fold assemblies defining second station and function the reversefolding the side wall 22 and lock ap 38, and the side wall 24 and lock llap 40, respectively, in lcoplanar relationship downwardly with respect to the path of travel or plane of the upper surfaces of the support members 80 and 82. The assemblies 100 and 102 are mirror images 0f each other, and each comprises a folding wire means indicated generally at 104 and pressing wheel means indicated generally at 106. The folding wire means 104 is suitably supported on the respective frame members 52 and 54 and include a downwardly inclined guide wire 108 which extends in a line starting at the rear end 110 above the plane defined by the support elements 80 and 82 and extend downwardly and outwardly therefrom to point 112. A leading edge of the side walls and lock flaps will engage the wires 108 and downward or reverse folding will be initiated at the outer edges 84 and 86 of the respective support bars 80 and 82.

The pressing wheel means 106 includes suitable support brackets carried on the frame members 52 and 54 and comprise a pressing wheel 114 journaled on vertical support shafts 116. The peripheral edge of the pressing wheels 114 is disposed in spaced but close relationship to the outer edges 84 and 86 of the support members 80 and 82 to accommodate the double thickness of the side walls 22 and 24, therebetween. It will be noted that the portion 108 of the forming wires or folding wires extends downwardly and outwardly below the pressing wheel 114 to accordingly guide the side walls and lock aps into engagement with the pressing wheels 114 where the complete reverse fold is made and enunciated.

Indicated generally at 118, and disposed in overlying relationship with respect to the path of travel defined by the upper run of the conveyor chain and members 80 and 82, is a tray hold down or forming mandrel assembly which extends downstream, beginning substantially from the pressing wheels 114 to an intermediate portion of the support frame. The assembly 118 comprises suitable vertically extending supports upon which are mounted horizontally disposed support shafts 120 and 122 (see FIG. 6, for example), having mounted thereon sprockets 124 and 126 over which is entrained a drive chain 128. Secured in outwardly extending, spaced relationship along the chain 128 are substantially U-shaped mandrel elements 130 having substantially planar legs 132 and 134 respectively, extending adjacent to the outer surfaces of the hold bars 96 and 98 and overlying the fold lines 18 and 20 of the preassembled blank. The chain 128 moves at the same speed as the conveyor chain 74, this being accomplished by means of a timing belt 136, entrained over pulleys mounted on the shaft 58 and a suitable support shaft (not shown) which is connected to suitably mounted gears 138 operatively connected to the shaft 22. The forming mandrels 130 are spaced along a chain 128 in such a manner so that each mandrel engages one of the oncoming preassembled cartons in the manner illustrated in FIG. 6 as they move through the path of travel of the apparatus.

The forming mandrels 130, as they move with the trays having the reverse folded side walls and lock panels, cooperate with a side wall and lock panel folding assemblies 140 which function to fold the side walls and lock panels vertically from the condition shown in FIG. 7 to that of FIG. 8. Assembly 140 comprises a transverse, suitably supported support shaft 142 mounted on the side frame members 52 and 54 of the apparatus, and having xed thereto a sprocket wheel 144 in coplanar relation with the second sprocket wheel 146 mounted on the shaft 58 over which is entrained a drive chain 148. Mounted on the shaft 142 in spaced relation at opposite sides of the outer edges 84 and 86 of support members 80 and 82, respectively, are folding elements 150 including laterally projecting plate portions 152 which extend outwardly in substantially parallel relationship to the shaft 142. Extending angularly from beneath the outer edges of the support members 80 and 82 and vertically at a slight angle, as seen in FIG. 1, for example, are guide wires 153 effective to engage the leading edges of the side walls and lock panels 22, 38 and 24, 40 before they are moved downstream toward the elements 150'. As seen in FIG. 7, the plate portions 152 initially engage beneath the side walls and lock panels which have been slightly raised by the guide wires 153 of FIG. l, and continued downstream movement of the trays from the position shown in FIG. 7 to that of FIG. 8 results in erection of the forward and rear walls 14 and 16 of the tray, ie., as the side walls 22 and 24 are moved inwardly toward each other the gusset folds 26-32 function to automatically erect the forward and rear walls 14 and 16.

Extending parallel to and spaced above the medial portion of the conveyor means is an inverted, T-shaped angle element 155 which supports chain 128 at the upper edge of the vertical leg and provides a hold down surface at 157 for the partially erected tray before it is in a locked condition. The mandrel element legs 132, 134 straddle the element 155.

In order to assist in the erection of the forward and rear walls 14 and 16, an assist finger assembly indicated generally at 154 is provided. The assist assembly 154 is disposed slightly upstream with respect to the elements 150. While the side walls 22, 22 and 24, 24 and lock flaps 38 and 40 are in coplanar relation, the forward and rear walls do not start to move vertically. However, as these walls and lock aps move vertically about the fold lines 18 and 20, the forward and rear walls 14 and 16 will start to move toward an erected position.

The assist finger assembly 154 comprises a suitably supported transverse shaft 158, to which is xed a sleeve 160 having downwardly extending finger elements 162 terminating in downwardly directed lower hook portions 164 and straddling the hold down element 155. As seen in FIG. 2, the assist fingers 162 are disposed above and generally slightly outside of the side edges 84 and 86 of the frame members 80 and 82, respectively, and the lower hook portions 164 will be effective to engage the blank at portions 164' of inner side walls 22', 24' (see FIG. 3) as the side walls and lock panels move over the elements 150 (see FIG. l). The assist fingers 162 are oscillated with the shaft 158 by means of a radially projecting lever 166 pivotally connected at 168 to an operating link 170. The operating link 170 is connected at its lower end to a support shaft 172 carried by a drive gear 174 mounted on shaft 176. The drive gear 174 is meshed with a gear 178 carried on the shaft 142 upon which the folding discs 150 are mounted.

The assist fingers 162, by their engagement of portions 164 of the trays, provide sufficient lift or drag to the rear or trailing wall 16 to insure proper unfolding and orientation of the front and rear walls 14 and 16 as they are oriented into vertically extending position by the inward movement of the side walls 22, 22 and 24, 24', i.e. to the position shown in FIG. 8.

As the trays move from the position shown in FIG. 9 to that of FIG. l0, i.e. downstream in the apparatus, they move beyond the conveyor chain 128 and beneath inwardly extending plow or guide bars 180 and 182 which turn the lock aps 38v and 40 inwardly at the fold lines 34 and 36, respectively. The plows or guide bars extend inwardly over the path of travel of the tray which now has all of its side walls erected. However, the rear edge of the tray is still engaged by one of the pusher bars 78 as clearly seen in FIG. 9.

The pusher bars 78 move the carton beneath the lockup or plunger assembly indicated generally at 184, at which position the bars 78 descend downwardly below the horizontal path of travel through the apparatus, and

the tray with the side walls erected are retained between the guide bars 180 and 182 and the support bars 80 and 82; see FIG. 10. The plunger assembly 184 is periodically reciprocated vertically as indicated by the phantom lines in FIG. l0` and comprises a pair of support rods 186, 188 extending through a support bracket i189 mounted on the support frame of the apparatus and secured at their lower end to a bracket 190. A bracket 190 includes a lateral support portion '192 (see FIG. 13) connected to a force transmitting arm 194 mounted on a support pin 196 carried on a drive gear 198 disposed eccentric to the support shaft 200 of the drive gear. The gear 198 is meshed with a gear 202 fixed to the shaft 58 and as the gear 202 rotates with the shaft 58, the rods 186 are reciprocated vertically by a force transmitting rod 194. The rods 186, 188 are connected at their upper ends to a lateral extending support portion 204 having a downwardly turned end portion 206 at which is fixed a suitably conformed element 208 of a configuration to cause the lock aps 38 and 30 to engage in cooperating apertures of inwardly slanted walls y14 and 16 of the tray. Oncoming trays will move the erected tray beneath plunger 208 as they are moved through the apparatus.

Although the tray of FIG. 1l is shown in a locked up condition, it is clearly evident to those skilled in the art that the element 208 could be replaced by means (not shown) for inserting a suitably conformed article into the tray, and the insertion of this article would perform the same function as the element 208.

There has been disclosed apparatus which fully conforms with the objects of invention heretofore set forth. Preassembled tray blanks are supplied at the upstream end of a horizontal path of travel through the apparatus; they are moved one-by-one and carried therealong by the pusher bars 78. As these preassembled blanks move downstream, the side walls and lock iiaps 22, 24 and 38, 40 are reverse-folded by the assemblies and 102 and are positively creased at fold lines 18 land 20 by the pressure wheels 114. Continued movement along the horizontal path of travel results in the forming mandrels l engaging the blanks, the side walls `are slightly raised -by the guide wires 153 and thereafter the side walls are folded upwardly by the assembly 140, i.e. the plate elements and portions 152 thereof, this upward `folding being assisted by the assist fingers 162 which engage the portions 164 of the preassembled blank. After the side walls of the 'blank have been oriented vertically with respect to the ybottom wall of the carton, the lock flaps 38 and 40 are urged into locked relationship with the other cooperating portions of the tray by the plunger assembly 184 or equivalent means.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention and therefore the invention is not limited to what is shown in the drawings and described in the specifications, but only as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for setting up pre-assembled blanks for producing erected display and packaging trays which include folded-flat, self-erecting pre-assembled blanks having louter side Iand end walls fold-ably connected at lower margins to a rectangular bottom panel, and adjacent ends of the outer side and end walls are connected by gusset panels to corresponding pairs of inner side and end walls, said pairs of inner walls being foldably connected to -respective upper margins of the outer walls, and the outer walls being self-erecting, and in which one pair of the inner side walls includes lock liaps having portions en- Vgageable with cooperating por-tions of the Vother pair of inner end walls; said apparatus comprising, in combination:

a support frame including conveyor means defining a horizontal path of travel for conveying pre-assembled, folded-flat blanks with opposed side walls and lock flaps extending laterally across the horizontal path of -travel of said conveyor means and the end walls being disposed as forward -and rear walls in relation to said path o'f travel;

reverse fold assemblies on said support frame and disposed at opposite sides of said conveyor means and including means for folding opposed side walls and lock aps in mutual coplanar relation below said horizontal path of travel;

a hold-down assembly overlying said conveyor means and including spaced mandrel means travelling with said conveyor means for engaging the laterally extending side walls as they are moved through said horizontal path of travel;

side-wall-and-lock iiap erecting means on said support frame including elements disposed at opposite sides of said conveyor means having portions for engaging the side walls and lock flaps below said horizontal path of travel and erecting the same in mutual coplanar relation above said horizontal path of travel;

and lock flap orienting means on said support frame spaced above said conveyor means -and extending inwardly from opposed outer margins thereof for positioning said lock flaps in inwardly folded relation from the upper margins of the erected outer side walls `for completing erection ofthe trays, said reverse fold assemblies including presser wheel elements journaled on vertical support shafts, each of said presser wheel elements having a peripheral edge disposed substantially parallel to and adjacent the outer edges of the conveyor support frame adjacent said horizontal path of travel.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which said conveyor means comprises a pair of horizontally disposed parallel, rigid support members having outer side margins detining folding edges for the opposed side walls of the preassembled tray blank.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, in which said hold down lassembly comprises a hold down bar overlying said support members and adjacent to the side margins of said support members.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3, in which said mandrel means comprises abutment portions position-able adjacent outer surface portions of said hold down bars, said hold down assembly including means 'for continuously moving said mandrel means along said support elements for maintaining a blank in oriented position thereon.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which said reve-rse fold assemblies include guide elements having a linear guide edge portion extending from a point above the horizontal path of travel of said conveying means and downwardly and outwardly therefrom.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim l, including guide elements disposed upstream of said presser wheel elements and having a linear guide edge extending from a point above the horizontal path of travel of said conveying means, downwardly and outwardly therefrom.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which said side wall and lock iiap erecting means includes a guide element on oppoosite sides of said conveyor means extending linearly from a point below said horizontal path of travel of said conveyor means outwardly and upwardly above said horizontal path of travel.

8. The apparatus `as claimed in claim 1, in which said side wall and l-ock flap erecting means includes an assist assembly comprising an element disposed on an axis of voscillation above and transverse relative to said horizontal path of travel and including means periodically positionable adjacent said horizontal path of travel for engaging a rear side wall portion of said blank to cause the rear wall to move toward a vertically erect position with respect to said horizontal path of travel.

9. The apparatus `as claimed in claim 1, in which said lock flap orienting means `comprises guide blades parallel to said horizontal path of travel and spaced thereabove,

and a hold-down bar disposed between said guide blades.

10. Apparatus for setting up pre-assembled blanks for producing erected display and packaging trays which include folded-fiat, self-erecting pre-assembled blanks having outer side and end walls foldably connected at lower margins to a rectangular bottom panel, and adjacent ends of the outer side and end walls are connected by gusset panels to corresponding pairs of inner side and end walls, said pairs of inner walls being foldably connected to -respective upper margins of the outer walls, land the outer walls being self-erecting, and in which one pair of the inner side walls includes lock -aps having portions engageable with cooperating portions of the other pair of inner end walls; said apparatus comprising, in combination:

a support frame including conveyor means defining a horizontal path of travel for conveying pre-assembled, folded-tiat blanks with opposed side walls and lock flaps extending laterally across the horizontal path o-f travel of said conveyor means and the end walls being ydisposed as forward and rear walls in relation to said path of travel;

reverse fold assemblies on said support frame and disposed at opposite sides of said conveyor means and including means for folding opposed side walls and lock iiaps in mutual coplanar relation below said horizontal path of travel;

a hold-down assembly overlying said conveyor means and including spaced mandrel means travelling with said conveyor means for engaging the laterally extending side walls as they are moved through said horizontal path of travel;

side-wall-and-lock flap erecting means on said support frame including elements disposed at opposite sides of said conveyor means having portions for engaging the side walls and lock aps below said horizontal path of travel and erecting the same in mutual coplanar relation above said horizontal path of travel;

and lock tiap orienting means on said support frame spaced above said conveyor means nd extending inwardly from opposed outer margins thereof for positioning said lock aps in inwardly lfolded relation from the upper margins of the erected outer side walls for completing erection of the trays, said sidewall-and-lock tiap erecting means including a pair of disc-like elements journalled on an axis of rotation transversely of and below said longitudinal path of travel, said disc-like elements being disposed on a vertical plane adjacent to said path of travel and including portions movable from beneath said path of travel to a position above said path of travel.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, in which said disc-like elements include youtwardly extending plate portions spaced from said axis of rotation for lifting said side walls and lock iiaps up to said horizontal path of travel.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, in which said side wall and lock flap erecting means includes a guide element upstream of said disc-like elements and extending linearly from a point below said horizontal path of travel and upwardly above said horizontal path of travel.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, in which said side wall and lock tiap erecting -means includes an assist assembly upstream of said disc-like elements and comprises an element disposed on an axis of oscillation above and transverse relative to said horizontal path of travel and including a portion periodically position-able adjacent said horizontal path o'f travel for engaging a rear end wall portion of said blank to cause the rear wall to move toward a vertically erect position with respect to said horizontal path of travel.

14. Apparatus for setting up pre-assembled blanks for producing erected display and packaging trays which include folded-flat, self-erecting pre-assembled blanks having outer side and end walls fold-ably connected at lower margins to a rectangular bottom panel, and adjacent ends of the outer side and end walls are connected by gusset panels to corresponding pairs of inner side and end walls, said pairs of inner walls being foldably connected to respective upper margins of the outer walls, and -the outer walls being self-erecting, and in which one pair of the inner side walls include lock flaps having portions engageable with cooperating po-rtions of the other pair of inner end walls; said apparatus comprising, in combination:

a support frame including conveyor means dening a horizontal path of travel for conveying pre-assembled, folded-flat blanks with opposed side walls and lock aps extending laterally across the horizontal path of travel of said conveyor means and the end walls being disposed as forward and rear walls in relation to said path of travel;

reverse fold assemblies on said support frame and disposed at opposite sides of said conveyor means and including means for folding the opposed side walls and lock aps in mutual coplanar relation below said horizontal path of travel;

a hold-down assembly overlying said conveyor means and including spaced mandrel means travelling with said conveyor means for engaging the laterally eX- tending side walls as they are moved through said horizontal path of travel;

side-wall-and-lock ap erecting means on said support lock ap orienting means on said support frame spaced above said conveyor means and extending inwardly from opposed outer margins thereof for positioning said lock flaps in inwardly folded relation from the upper margins of the erected outer side walls for `completing erection of the trays;

and generally cylindrical-shaped plunger means disposed above said horizontal path of travel of said conveyor means, and an Ioperating mechnism connected to said plunger means for periodically moving said plunger means toward said horizontal path of travel for orienting said lock flaps into locked engagement with the inner forward :and rear walls of said partially erected tray.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS WAYNE A. MORSE, JR., Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 

